President William Ruto has promised Ksh60 million to Starehe Boys Centre to replace the asbestos roof that has been outlawed. The funds are from the government coffers, and not his personal donation.
Speaking at the 70th anniversary of the Africa Inland Church Ziwani, being held at the school on Sunday, Ruto also promised 20 more teachers to the school, which he admitted was his dream school when he sat for his Certificate of Primary Education (CPE) in 1980.
"As you can see, the school has an asbestos roof, and it has been banned. The Principal has told me that they need Ksh60 million to replace the roof," he said.
"The government of Kenya is going to provide that resource so that we can change and support and change the infrastructure of this school."
He added that the renovation would take place when the school breaks for the December holidays, for the classes to be ready by January.
Additionally, he promised that he would have 20 more teachers assigned to the institution to seal the manpower gap in the school. The 20 will come from a batch of 20,000 teachers that the government plans to hire in November and December.
The President then narrated how he had prayed to score admission to the high school when he sat his CPE in 1980, after being motivated by a neighbour of his who had topped the country and was admitted to the institution.
"By the way, I really wanted to come to this school when I was in standard seven. I wanted to come to Starehe Boys, but I did not make the cut," Ruto said, followed by chuckles from the crowd.
"I wanted to come here because I had a neighbour who was the best student in 1978. His name was Joseph Choge, and he got 36 out of 36 points and was admitted here. It was a big deal to come to Nairobi, so I also prayed to pass and be the best student so that I could come here too."
When he sat for his CPE in 1980, however, Ruto revealed that although he was the best in his school, he only had 33 points and thus did not make it.
Founded in 1959 as a rescue centre for boys displaced by the independence war, the school has maintained its humanitarian foundation by still admitting disadvantaged boys from low-income or orphaned backgrounds.
While still maintaining its status as one of the academic giants in Kenya, the school still provides free education for the majority of its students, with the remainder paying subsidised fees. This is funded by combining paying students with those from low-income families.
